Who pays you depends on who sells you power
In the parts of Texas where you pick a retail electric provider (REP), the REP sells you electricity and the local wires company (the transmission and distribution utility, TDU) delivers it. A TDU does not sell energy, so it does not pay for your exports. The REP does, if it chooses to. The Power to Choose site says it plainly: "You must sell to the company from whom you buy your electricity; however, your company is not required to purchase this power." (Power to Choose)
State law backs that structure. Utilities Code 39.916 says a solar owner in a competitive area must sell surplus electricity to the REP that serves the home "at a value agreed to" by the two. The PUCT rule that implements it, 25.217, uses the same words: a value "to which both parties agree". Nothing in either text sets a price or a formula for the competitive market.
City utilities and co-ops set their own
Where your power comes from a city-owned utility or an electric cooperative, there is no REP to shop. The PUCT consumer page says: "City-owned electric utilities and electric cooperatives set their own buyback rates." Austin Energy and CPS Energy are city-owned. Austin Energy publishes a Value of Solar rate, covered in its own guide. For CPS Energy, see the Austin Energy vs CPS Energy comparison for what is and is not verified.
What the PUCT tells consumers
- The buyback rate is part of your contract with your electric provider, and it is usually lower than the retail price you pay.
- Check with your provider about any rules or requirements on buyback programs and rates.
- The State of Texas does not offer grants or rebates for installing solar panels.
- In areas where you can shop for a plan, you can shop for a plan with a buyback rate and other features.
Those four points are from the PUCT solar page.
Where to read the number
Every retail plan comes with an Electricity Facts Label (EFL) under PUCT rule 25.475. The EFL form carries a yes or no line: "Does the REP purchase excess distributed renewable generation?" The label answers whether the provider buys, not at what price, so the rate itself has to come from the plan's terms of service or from the provider. Some providers also tie the buyback to a particular plan, as Power to Choose notes.
Three common structures
Plans fall into a few shapes. The structures comparison walks through each. In short: a credit at the retail rate, a fixed rate per exported kWh, or a rate that follows the wholesale market.
To see why the shape matters, take a made-up system that makes 10,000 kWh a year, with a household that uses 40 percent of it as it is made and pays 15 cents per kWh. Priced as plain arithmetic, a credit at the retail rate is worth $1,500 in the first year, a fixed 5 cent buyback $900, and a 3 cent wholesale-based buyback $780. The numbers are illustrative inputs, not a market quote.
You can plug your own city, system size and plan into the payback calculator.
Questions
Does Oncor or CenterPoint buy my solar power?
Not from the sources checked here. This site did not find a primary source naming either company, so it does not make a claim about them. What the sources do say is that the retail provider on your bill, not the wires company, is the one that may buy exported power.
Can I find a plan with buyback on Power to Choose?
The PUCT calls Power to Choose its official shopping site. Whether it has a dedicated buyback filter could not be confirmed from a page this site could read, so check each plan's EFL for the line about purchasing excess generation.
Is the buyback the same as net metering?
No. See Does Texas have net metering.
Will the rate stay the same?
A rate on a plan can change when the plan does. Join the email list below if you want a note when tracked rates change.
This page is general information, not advice for your situation. Rates and plans change; read your own plan documents.